Mysore/Mysuru: Hundreds of traders staged a protest in the city yesterday, demanding the externment of Ramesh Kumar Mali, accused of extorting money from merchants in Santhepet, Shivarampet and Bandipalya.

The traders alleged that Mali has been repeatedly demanding ‘hafta’ from them and threatening those who refuse.

The protest, organised under the banner of Mysore Traders Suraksha Welfare Association, was held at the premises of Sri Tripura Bhairavi Mutt’s Anjaneyaswamy Temple at Shivarampet First Cross.

Traders shared their ordeal and demanded immediate action to extern Mali from the district, citing multiple Police cases already registered against him.

Former Corporator Prashanth Gowda said, several cases against Mali are pending at Devaraja, Krishnaraja (KR) and Hebbal Police Stations. “On Tuesday at around 10.15 pm, Mali, along with his son Chandraprakash, went to the shop of Baboota Ram in Shivarampet and demanded Rs. 1 lakh, threatening to kill him if he refused,” Gowda alleged.

A case has since been registered at Devaraja Police Station, and traders have urged the Police to invoke stringent measures to extern Mali from the district. Later, the protesters submitted a memorandum to Devaraja Police Inspector Raghu, pressing for immediate action.

Santhepet traders Praveen Jain, Baboota Ram, Swaroop Ram, Uma Ram, Vaktaram, Kanthilal, Dhanesh Mehta, Amrit Purohit and several others took part in the protest.